Evidence-based policymaking - an important first step and the need to move to the next

In recent years, there has been a marked increase in interest in the use of evidence for public policymaking. Yet the vast majority of work in this area has failed to engage with the political nature of decision making and how this influences the ways in which evidence is used (or misused) within political arenas. This series of briefs provides new insights into the nature of political bias with regards to evidence, and critically considers what an ‘improved’ use of evidence would look like from a policymaking perspective. Collectively, it summarises ideas presented in the book: The Politics of Evidence: from Evidence Based Policy to the Good Governance of Evidence – published in 2017 by Routledge, and available from late 2016 electronically for free (open access) (http://bit.ly/2eQ3By2).